What is Banana, Kela?

Banana, as the name suggests, is the soft and sweet fruit of the banana tree, a native of the Indian subcontinent, which is now cultivated in tropical regions like Africa, West Indies and South America.

Each plant/ tree bears around 45 to 150 bananas, which have outer skins in varying shades of green, yellow or red, and a white or off-white coloured sweet flesh. Only certain varieties of banana are amenable to ripening, while others – called plantains – are cooked raw akin to vegetables. This article focuses on the banana fruit.

Banana cubes

To make banana cubes, peel the banana and place on a chopping board. Using a knife, cut lengthwise along the centre of the banana to get two equal halves. Join the halves with your non-working hand, and cut breadth wise at ½ inch/ 1 inch regular intervals to make banana cubes. Cubes are used mainly in fruit salads.

Banana strips

To make banana strips, peel the banana and place on a chopping board. Cut off the ends and cut the banana in half. Cut both halves vertically into thick or thin equal strips as required by the recipe.

Chopped bananas

To make chopped banana, peel the banana and place on a chopping board. Using a knife, cut lengthwise along the centre of the banana to get two equal halves. Cut both halves vertically into equal strips, and then place all the strips together. Chop breadth-wise at regular intervals, to make chopped bananas.

Mashed bananas

Chop the banana into rough slices and place in a food processor along with cream or sugar (optional). Blend till well mashed. Mashed banana is used in banana bread, cake recipes, etc.

Peel the outer skin of the banana. Place on a chopping board, and cut off the two smudged corners. Now, cut the banana breadth-wise at regular intervals to get slices of required width.

How to select Banana, Kela?

• Buy fairly firm bananas with smooth skin.• Prefer bananas with the stem intact, as ones that are open at the eyes tend to attract flies and mosquitoes! In case you end up with an open one, remember to cut off the edge before consuming the fruit. • Different varieties of bananas have different flavours, aromas and medicinal properties too. Be aware of these, and choose as per the requirement.• There are three ways to see if a banana is ripe: it gives in slightly when you press, it gives off a fruity rather than sappy smell, and it can be plucked off the stem easily.

9 ways to use Banana, Kela.

1. This is one of the tasty fruit you can just peel and relish as it is!.

9. Raw Banana can be cut into chips, fried and then salted or spiced with chilli powder Yellow banana chips, Spicy yellow banana chips and enjoyed during your leisure time, fun time, travelling time or picnic time. You can use black pepper instead of chilli power for change in spicy flavour of your banana chips.

How to store Banana, Kela?

• They can be kept at normal temperatures for several days. However, remember that they will continue to ripen as the days pass, so buy only as many as you can eat in a day or two. • Always store at room temperature, covered by a net to keep away flies.• Do not store bananas under refrigerated conditions since they have a tendency to turn black at low temperatures. • Also it is not advisable to cut or chop and store them as they turn black and soggy.

7 Incredible Health Benefits of Banana, Kela

• Packed with sugars and fibre, it is a quick energy giver. It containspectin which reduces appetite by delaying stomach emptying (1). It is therefore advisable to have bananas in the mornings, to get a full energy boost and feel fuller for a long time. This also makes it an ideal food for growing children. Almond Banana Smoothie and Date and Banana Shake are quick to make power packed breakfast drinks to start your day with.